Colonel Sanders' 1964 planner fetches $30,000 as Shelbyville auction disperses KFC founder's personal collection
A 1964 date planner belonging to KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders sold for $30,000 Tuesday at a Shelbyville, Kentucky auction, leading a night that moved more than 70 personal items from family storage to collectors…
A 1964 date planner belonging to KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders sold for $30,000 Tuesday at a Shelbyville, Kentucky auction, leading a night that moved more than 70 personal items from family storage to collectors across the country and online. The planner generated the session's biggest bidding war, partly because of what is written on its back: a handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, with no known explanation for the entry.
The lots and what they brought
Bill Menish, owner and lead auctioneer with The Menish Group, said the family had kept the collection in basements and closets for years before deciding to release it to buyers who love Sanders. He made those remarks to Fox News.
A 1955 Kentucky Colonel certificate sold for about $23,000. Sanders' signature black clip-on bow tie went for $8,000. The broader collection included recipe cards and handwritten notes among items covering both his personal life and his years building Kentucky Fried Chicken. One buyer, a former employee of Sanders who purchased the planner, named it the most fascinating lot of the night. Menish traced that result directly to the handwritten back page.
How Sanders built a fast-food operation
Several items in the collection documented the decisions that turned Kentucky Fried Chicken into a viable franchise. The most consequential, by Menish's account, was Sanders' use of the pressure cooker. The appliance was not originally intended for frying chicken. Sanders adapted it anyway, and the result was a drop in cook time from 30 minutes to 10. That shift gave him the capacity to service customers at the pace the growing fast food industry required.
Elizabeth Pitchford, a family member of Sanders, attended to watch the lots change hands. She wanted to see the people taking ownership of her grandfather's belongings and described the evening as overwhelming.
Two properties still in play
Blackwood Hall, Sanders' former home, and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House remain available through a separate process. His wife opened the restaurant after Sanders sold Kentucky Fried Chicken, and it has since remained a landmark tied to the family's history. Both properties are being offered through sealed bids, with offers due Friday at midnight. The Settle family has owned them since 1974.
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Filed via foxnews.com